（株）学研ホールディングス

What （株）学研ホールディングス does

Gakken Holdings is a Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed holding company (ticker 9470) that operates an integrated education, publishing, childcare, and elderly-care conglomerate through 80+ group companies. Founded in 1946 as Gakusyu Kenkyusha and reorganized into a holding structure in March 2009, the group covers the full human lifecycle — from infant educational toys and picture books, K-12 cram schools and correspondence courses, through adult reskilling, to elderly housing, group-home dementia care, and home-visit nursing. Core brands include Gakken Classroom, Ichishin cram schools, Gakken Cocofump elderly services, Kimini Online English, and the Gakken Zukan/Manga publishing franchises.

The group generates revenue across four primary streams: publishing and educational content (one-time sales of textbooks, workbooks, manga, and reference books); classrooms and cram schools (recurring tuition across directly-operated and franchised networks); childcare and elderly care services (managed-service fees from nursery schools, elderly housing, dementia group homes, and home-visit nursing); and e-learning/digital education (subscriptions for Kimini English, Gakken Nursing Support, Gakken ON AIR live classes, and shikaku square). Distribution combines direct-to-school sales, the company's own e-commerce site (Shop Gakken+), domestic physical classroom network, global franchises (Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore), and B2B channels for corporate training and elderly-facility services. International operations span Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Turkey.

Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward digital consolidation (RareJob full subsidiary acquisition via 2026 share exchange), financial-product cross-selling (capital partnership with Nippon Life Insurance, September 2025), and next-generation aging-society technology through the newly established Gerok Inc. (October 2025) in collaboration with Kyoto University. The group is a constituent of FTSE Blossom Japan, FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative, and FTSE JPX Blossom Japan ESG indices.

Name

（株）学研ホールディングス

Legal name

株式会社学研ホールディングス

Website

https://gakken.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gakken Holdings is a Tokyo-listed conglomerate (TSE Prime, ticker 9470) operating 80+ group companies across educational publishing, nationwide K-12 cram schools, childcare, and elderly care in Japan and seven other countries. Founded in 1946, it covers the full lifecycle from infant learning products through dementia care services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational and Welfare Services

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (551), Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623), Software Publishers (513210)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Textbook Publishing (Core Curriculum) (MPAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Benefits, Insurance & Entitlement Navigation (Medicare/Medicaid/VA/LTC) (HSABAIAG)

Keywords

• Educational publishing
• Cram school services
• Childcare services
• Elderly care services
• E-learning platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

品川区, 東京都

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Publishing and Educational Content: Publishing of textbooks, workbooks, educational manga, picture books, reference books (zukan series), and digital content for infants through adults. Revenue from direct sales, bookshop sales, and school distribution.
2. Classrooms and Cram Schools (塾・教室): Operation of Gakken classrooms, affiliated cram schools (進学塾), and tutoring services across Japan through subsidiaries and franchisees. Revenue from tuition and enrollment fees.
3. Childcare and Elderly Care Services: Development and operation of nursery schools, certified daycare centers (認定こども園), elderly housing (高齢者住宅), group homes for dementia, and home-visit nursing/wellness services.
4. E-learning and Digital Education Services: Online learning platforms, correspondence courses, nurse e-learning, corporate training, and AI-based adaptive learning content.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gakken Holdings is a comprehensive education and welfare conglomerate that operates educational publishing (textbooks, workbooks, manga, picture books, zukan/field guides), nationwide classroom and cram school networks, digital learning platforms and correspondence courses, nursery and childcare facilities, and elderly care services including housing, group homes, and home-visit nursing. The group serves learners from infancy through adulthood and provides welfare services for the elderly through its network of 80+ subsidiaries in Japan and overseas.

Product overview

Gakken Holdings operates as a comprehensive education and healthcare conglomerate offering a multi-brand portfolio of products and services. The core education business includes tutoring schools (学研教室, めばえ教室), robot programming courses (もののしくみ研究室, しくみKids), correspondence courses (学研通信講座), and online learning platforms (Gakken ON AIR, Kimini). Publishing products include manga educational content (学研まんが), field guide series (学研の図鑑シリーズ, 最強王図鑑シリーズ), and the e-library (学研ライブラリー). Digital products span educational apps, the Manamil communication app, and e-learning for nursing/caregiving (学研ナーシングサポート, 学研介護サポート). The company also operates childcare facilities, elderly housing (cocofump group), and provides enterprise services including logistics, HR staffing, and metaverse platforms (MetaLife). Recent initiatives include RareJob acquisition for English learning expansion and Gerok for dementia care technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 学研教室 (Gakken Classroom): The core tutoring and learning center brand offering educational programs for children from infants through adults
• 学研老了 (Gakken Cocofump)
• 学研ほいくえん・こどもえん (Gakken Hoiku-en / Kodomo-en)
• Gakken ON AIR
• G-PAPILS
• Kimini Online
• こそだてまっぷ (Kosodate Map)
• 学研ナーシングサポート (Gakken Nursing Support)
• 学研科学 (Gakken Kagaku)
• 学研の図鑑シリーズ (Gakken Field Guide Series)

Products and services

• 学研教室 (Gakken Classroom)

Quantifiable outcome

• Nurse e-learning courses report 95% continuation rate
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, minor and regional.

• Nippon Life Insurance Company (日本生命)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2025Capital business partnership. Nippon Life Insurance invested in or entered a strategic capital partnership with Gakken Holdings, combining Gakken's education/welfare services with Nippon Life's insurance and financial products distribution capabilities.
• RareJob Inc. (株式会社レアジョブ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2024Capital and business partnership. Gakken Holdings entered a capital business partnership with RareJob, a listed online English conversation company. In 2025-2026, Gakken pursued full subsidiary acquisition via stock exchange (simplified share exchange), aiming to make RareJob a wholly-owned subsidiary.
• J.S.B. Co., Ltd. (株式会社ジェイ・エス・ビー)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2023Business partnership and equity relationship for elderly care facility services. J.S.B. operates senior housing; Gakken Cocofump acquired shares in related entities.
• DTP Education Solutions JSCregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2023Capital business partnership for educational business expansion in Vietnam. DTP Education Solutions operates language schools, sells textbooks and educational content in Vietnam. Gakken holds equity stake and collaborates on educational content and services in the Vietnamese market.
• Kiddihub Education Technology JSCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2023Vietnam-based education platform operator and kindergarten consulting firm. Partnered with Gakken for educational platform services and consulting for Japanese companies entering the Vietnamese market.
• Ichishin Holdings Co., Ltd. (株式会社市進ホールディングス)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing capital and business partnership. Ichishin Holdings is a consolidated subsidiary and core group company of Gakken Group. Ichishin Education Group operates cram schools and provides educational services across Japan.
• IC Net LimitedregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of Gakken providing ODA project implementation, overseas expansion consulting, and global talent development services. Supports Gakken Group companies' international expansion.
• Yaruki Switch Group Co., Ltd. (株式会社跳槽スイッチグループ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture YGC Co., Ltd. combining Gakken's educational brand with Yaruki Switch's AI-based learning content. JV develops AI-powered learning content and new classroom packages.
• Medical Care Service Inc. (株式会社三菱ケア・サービス)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing subsidiary providing group homes for elderly with dementia and health promotion projects. Operates elderly care facilities, wellness media, publishing, and exercise programs as part of the Gakken Cocofump group ecosystem.
• TOKYO GLOBAL GATEWAY Co., Ltd.regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the TOKYO GLOBAL GATEWAY English learning facility in Tokyo, providing immersive English experience programs for children. Joint initiative with Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education.
• GI Village Co., Ltd. (クランテテ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between Gakken Juku Holdings and Ichishin Holdings. Operates child care facilities based on Montessori method from toddler to elementary school age. Provides high-quality early childhood education combining both parents' expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Z-Kai (Z会): Japanese correspondence-course and cram-school operator targeting high-achieving students. Comparable to Gakken's communication-course and classroom portfolio at the upper-secondary segment, with overlapping digital and print delivery models.
• Nichii Gakkan (Nichiigakkan): Operates nursery schools, certified childcare centers, and elderly care facilities across Japan. Closest operating peer to Gakken Cocofump's integrated childcare-to-eldercare platform, with comparable regulatory exposure and caregiver-labor dynamics.
• Tokyo Shoseki Co., Ltd. Japanese textbook publisher (Ministry-approved K–12 textbooks and supplementary materials). Closest publishing peer to Gakken's Kirihara Shoten subsidiary and direct competitor in school-channel distribution.
• Benesse Holdings: Japan's largest educational services and publishing group (Kodomo Challenge, ShinkenZemi, Benesse kifunosato). Direct competitor across K–12 learning, educational publishing, and care-related publishing, with comparable nationwide distribution and digital-content strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings: Through Study Sapuri and other education businesses, Recruit operates one of Japan's largest online K–12 tutoring platforms. Competes head-on with Gakken Classroom in digital self-study and overlaps in adult/credential learning.
• Sompo Care Message / Sompo Holdings: Major Japanese operator of elderly care facilities and group homes, including dementia care. Competes directly with Gakken Cocofump's elderly housing and group-home subsidiaries and represents large-incumbent pressure in the LTC segment.
• WaniKani / Kadokawa (KADOKAWA Corporation): Major Japanese publisher with substantial educational and children's content (Kadokawa Shoten, academic publishing). Competes with Gakken's publishing arm and increasingly overlaps in digital learning platforms and children's IP.

Emerging players

• RareJob, Inc. Online English-conversation platform operator listed on TSE Growth. About to become a Gakken Holdings wholly-owned subsidiary (May 2026 share-exchange). Pre-deal, a close operational peer in online English learning alongside Gakken's Kimini brand.
• Welbe Holdings (Care21-adjacent / Wel-Holdings): Mid-cap Japanese operator focused on nursery schools and after-school care with expansion into welfare services. Comparable scope to Gakken Cocofump's childcare franchise and a likely competitive force in certified-daycare openings.

Others

• Nippon Life Insurance Company: Japan's largest life insurer and Gakken's Sept 2025 capital/business partner. Strategic adjacency (insurance distribution into elderly-care customers) rather than direct competition — relevant for understanding the partnership's cross-sell mechanics but not a product peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GakkenGroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GakkenHD_koho
• Facebookfacebook.com/gakkengroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%EF%BC%88%E6%A0%AA%EF%BC%89%E5%AD%A6%E7%A0%94%E3%83%9B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%82%B9

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries70 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about （株）学研ホールディングス